But She Still Lost
by KodiakWolfe13
Summary: Coraline may have defeated the Beldam, but she still lost, all the same. (One-Shot.)
**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the idea.**

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For the first few nights, all was fine. Coraline was fine. After all, she had escaped the Other Mother, the Beldam. She had saved her parents (and the cat, too, just a little bit). She had beaten the Other Mother, outwitted her and tricked her into doing what Coraline wanted. It had been a marvelous victory, and Coraline didn't think she could've done any better than she had done that fateful night and day, when she'd escaped the other world and dropped the Other Mother's hand down the well.

With the triumph fresh in her mind, Coraline had slept like a baby for the first few nights after the adventure. Her dreams were always sweet and blissful, and she always awoke refreshed and smiling. Her last few dull days, with nothing to do as she waited for school to begin, were spent skipping and smiling, always in a chipper mood. Coraline's parents asked her about her good humor, but there was nothing the girl could say that would make a lick of sense. Thus, she gave half-hearted lies and continued on her way before they could ask again.

However, the adrenaline soon wore off. Her victory became less of a thing she had done and more of a distant memory. Coraline compared it to riding a rollercoaster; a person may ride it, and they may love it, but by the end of the day, they won't be able to remember the feeling that made them love it. The excitement was gone; the feeling was lost. The only way to get that fragile understanding back would be to ride the rollercoaster again, and Coraline, as much as she'd love to understand her initial excitement, didn't have any desire to hop back on the ride again.

The adventure was over. It'd been fun- sort of, in a ridiculous sense –but Coraline didn't have any desire to repeat the event to regain lost excitement.

Thus, with the entire fiasco behind her, Coraline expected her life to simply go back to what it had been before: boring and dull. She was welcoming of it all; even her father's disgusting and questionable dinners were something to feel grateful for (she still refused to eat any of it, though). The beginning of the school year was looking spectacular, and Coraline was thrilled to be able to go. It'd be her new, exciting adventure, she thought with a grin, playing with her brightly colored gloves the day before the first day of school. Coraline promised herself she'd make the best of it.

Unfortunately, that was the night the nightmares started.

Coraline woke up in a cold sweat after being chased by the Beldam throughout the other world. She hadn't screamed or shot up in her bed, as so many movies, books, and TV shows had depicted people doing when they had particularly horrible dreams. Coraline's heart had simply given a jerk, startling her from the depths of dreamland, and her eyes had awoken while the rest of her body gave a jolt. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, making her wide awake, and Coraline had felt the sudden need to go for a run for the first time in her life.

The girl didn't understand her dream. After all, she'd defeated the Beldam. The Other Mother was gone for good, unable to hurt her or anyone else ever again. Thus, Coraline didn't know what else to do but to chalk it up to her nerves for the following day, her first day at a new school. With that in mind, Coraline turned over and attempted to sleep the rest of the night away. She only ever made it halfway to unconsciousness.

Despite being tired as hell, Coraline did as she promised herself and made the best out of her first day of school. She made friends, and all of her teachers were amazing (except for mean Mr. Harold, uh). Coraline took part in all of the icebreakers enthusiastically, if a bit sluggishly, and with quick work, she got rid of the "new girl" title that would've undoubtedly followed her around for months, had she decided she wanted to be shy.

That night, Coraline went to bed at her usual time with a smile on her face. Hours later, she was waking up again to the same heart-attack she'd had the night before, only this time the Beldam had been chasing the cat while she watched helplessly. It unnerved the girl, these nightmares that plagued her. She didn't understand why she was having them. There was no danger anymore; she'd gotten rid of it all. The only thing Coraline could do was hope they'd disappear soon. They were waking her up in early in the mornings, and she wasn't getting enough sleep.

However, fate decided there were other plans in store for Coraline Jones.

Life continued on as always, only now the girl was plagued with the nightmares almost every night. They were never the same, and Coraline never knew what to expect. Sometimes her parents were never found; sometimes Coraline allowed the Other Mother to sew buttons into her eyes, and other times the adventure never happened at all, and she was simply a loony-bird that deserved to be put in the nut-house. Either way, anytime Coraline thought she had had the worst dream yet, she was proven wrong the following night.

The girl didn't have the nightmares every night, but there were enough in a week that her exhaustion became very obvious after some time. Coraline's parents asked her about it, but Coraline blew them off, aware they wouldn't understand if she tried to explain. She was just having bad dreams, Coraline stated again and again. There was nothing wrong. However, the girl's grades and concerned calls from teachers (even mean Mr. Harold, which was shocking) told the two worried parents otherwise. And since their baby girl wasn't comfortable talking to them, they decided to get a therapist.

Coraline didn't talk to the lady, at first. She tried to wheedle her way out of mandatory sessions plenty of times, but she was forced to go, nevertheless. However, going and doing nothing while she was there was boring, and nothing was supposed to leave the room Coraline and the lady were in anyway. Thus, Coraline opened up eventually, explaining her dreams in vivid detail that startled the therapist. It didn't stop the girl from speaking, though, and she let the lady think whatever she wanted to think about Coraline's mental state. The girl knew what was wrong with her (sort of); she just wasn't sure how to fix it.

The lady tried to give her sleeping medication, but none of it worked, no matter how many times they tried to adjust dosages or try different brands. Coraline still woke up in cold sweats most nights, but by now, Coraline was adjusting to the lack of sleep. Her energy came back little by little, even though the nightmares continued to visit her most nights. Soon enough, she said goodbye to the therapy visits and the medications after learning how to lie.

As Coraline got older and the nightmares began expected, the young lady began running. She'd go in the early mornings, when her parents were still slumbering and the moon was still dangling above the horizon. For the most part, she kept it a secret from her parents, who would undoubtedly be concerned with the fact she was up so early most days, but Coraline allowed them to know when she decided she wanted to try out for track. They were surprised, but after another carefully crafted lie, they were all for it.

Coraline became one of the best runners for her school, and her career continued all the way through high-school. She received scholarships from many schools, but finally accepted one that would allow her to study the field she desired to work in: teaching. After watching her teachers work so well with her, Coraline decided she wanted to be like them, and thus, the young woman followed in their footsteps.

After moving out of her flat and leaving her parents to live by themselves, Coraline wondered if the nightmares would stop. After all, she was getting away from the place her problem originated in. If the origin disappeared, it made sense that the rest of it would as well. And it did, for a time. Coraline slept without a hitch for about a month, but just as she was beginning to think they really were gone for good, they came back, longer and much more terrifying than before.

With that, Coraline began the period of adjusting again. The lack of sleep most nights had Coraline scrambling in her classes as she tried to pick up the slack she kept dropping. In the end, she needed the help of another student named Wybie (it stood for something like 'why were you born?' or something?) to set her straight. After that, it was smooth sailing, and Coraline got by, despite the plaguing nightmares limiting her sleep.

Wybie quickly became her best friend in college. After about a year and a half, he graduated to boyfriend. As soon as the two of them were graduated from college, Coraline was walking down the aisle; all the while, Wybie had no idea of his beloved's sleeping habits. Thus, when they finally moved in together, he quickly became concerned with his wife's early rising. He was always aware of her leaving the bed in the early morning, usually awaking with a startled jolt that racked the whole bed-frame. He questioned her about it, and Coraline was quickly reminded of her parents when she was still a very young child. Thus, it wasn't a surprise when she reverted to her lying in an attempt to avoid the uncomfortable conversation.

Unfortunately, Wybie saw right through her carefully woven deceits and called her out. Thus, Coraline had to explain the events from her childhood for the first time in her life. It was embarrassing, and Coraline felt very small as she explained, refusing to look at her partner. She didn't want to see his face, for it was undoubtedly going to turn into a look of 'you're crazy' at anytime. Coraline expected everything to end by the end of her story, but when she was done talking, Wybie said nothing. Against her judgment, Coraline took a peek at him and was surprised to see that he seemed to believe her and the entire story, despite its whimsical features. It gave Coraline the tiniest bit of courage to continue.

Coraline told Wybie that she had defeated the Beldam, but she had still lost, all the same.

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 **This idea is very overused, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Hopefully, this was delivered in a different way than most. I have no idea, though, as I do not read that Coraline archive very often. Please tell me how I did. ^.^**


End file.
